


Learning When to Stop

by untilweseeawingshot



Series: Team Free Will Bingo [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Team Free Will Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-01-16
Packaged: 2018-03-07 20:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3181499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/untilweseeawingshot/pseuds/untilweseeawingshot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>TFW Bingo prompt: Character – John Winchester<br/>Set a few years after Mary’s death and a young Sam and Dean have adjusted to life without their mother but are still learning to cope for most of their time without their father.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Learning When to Stop

If you asked most people they would tell you that John Winchester didn’t only lose his wife in the fire, he lost his sanity as well. It shocked people that he had been allowed to keep the boys, if they hadn’t disappeared so soon after, his old friends are pretty sure that he would have lost them so child services.

It wasn’t that he didn’t love them, it was clear to anyone who saw him interacting with them that he did; he just didn’t seem to have much time for them, it was all just hunting this so called ‘monster’ that had killed the love of his life.

One person who did understand what was going on in that messed up head of his was a hunter he met early on in his days in the life, a man by the name of Bobby Singer. John was eternally grateful for all of the help Bobby provided both in helping him hunt Mary’s killer and with looking after the boys.

That was where he found himself now, sitting at the kitchen table at Singer Salvage three heavy lore books opened and bookmarked at various pages strewn across the table in front of him. He ran a hand over his face letting out an exasperated sigh before making his way across the kitchen to grab a beer out of the fridge and taking a long drink. Coffee was what he needed, how long had it been since he’d eaten? Yesterday. When was the last time he’d seen Bobby or the boys? This morning.

“Daddy!”

The shout was accompanied by two pairs of feet running across wooden floors to greet him.

“Hey boys,” He set his beer down beside the books on the table and hugged them both.

Sam was practically bouncing on his toes, “Daddy, look what Uncle Bobby bought us!” He proudly shoved the soccer ball in Johns face, “Can we play?”

John gritted his teeth and took the ball from his youngest son, placing it on the table. “Not right now Sammy, you and Dean need to go practice shooting. Once you get a bull’s-eye on one of those targets, then you can play soccer.” All of the time he was talking he wasn’t looking at Sam, he was glaring at Bobby over the top of the little boys head.

“But - -…”

“No but’s Sam. Go with Dean and practice. Now!”

Dean grabbed his little brothers hand and lead him out of the room, “C’mon Sammy, I’ll show you what to do!”

Both grown men watched them leave, making certain they were well out of ear-shot before they spoke.

“Why would you do that? You know they need to learn how to hunt!”

“They are a couple of young boys, who lost their mother and are on a way to losing their father if he doesn’t buck up and sort himself out! Dammit John Winchester, your boys are not soldiers!” Bobby yelled “They are boys. They need to be able to just tune out sometimes and do what normal kids do! Normal fathers are teaching their sons to play football or soccer, not sending them off with their brother to shoot a gun!”

“They are not your kids! I need to find out what killed Mary; that is my number one priority! The boys need to learn how to defend themselves; that is number two!” John threw himself back down into the chair he had previously been occupying and stuck his nose into one of the books.

“Please, stop doing this to yourself! You haven’t slept in three days! Don’t think I haven’t noticed, just take a rest already! Even if you won’t play soccer with them, you go teach Sam how to shoot; don’t leave that up to Dean, he barely knows how himself!”

“I can’t. He’s still out there and if I don’t find him…”

“You need to learn when to stop John. You have two wonderful boys who just want to spend some time with their dad.”

John stood the book up so it formed a barrier between the two men. Bobby sighed, turned and stalked out of the room soccer ball retrieved from the table under his arm, shouting for the boys.

John Winchester did love his sons, and he was annoyed with himself for missing out on so much in their lives. As he’d already said, finding whatever it was that took Mary from him was priority number one, everything else came second, maybe even third with hunting down and killing any other thing out there that was murdering innocent people coming in second.

He did love his family; they just weren’t his priority.

**Author's Note:**

> Little bit of an authors note: I don’t really like John Winchester, but I was actually happy to get this character prompt!


End file.
